It;s Berry Season

 The one aspect of June is that it's berry season. Strawberries, blueberries and blackberries are in full bloom right now.They can be turned into all sorts of sweet and savory treats.use them in baking. Use them in even barbecuing.Ir's your harvest.

Scones are an easy bake and there;s nothing better than a berry rich scone.Keep in mind that strawberries are water dense fruit and baking with them can lead to a soggy crumb. It's best to slice them and let them drain out  on paper towels for a few hours before using. You'll have a crisper crumb for baked goods and a thicker frosting.Can you make a strawberry croissant? Yes  but it's usually stuffing. Make it with a cream filling. You can have a creme anglaise or a simple whipped cream one put into the croissants right before serving. Another treat is berry butter, made with all three berries or just one or two.It's just taking a half cup of strawberries and a half cup of any other and then mixing them with a half cup of butter. Shape intoa log and chill in wax paper. Add rounds to pancakes and French toast for a fruity and fun bite.Fruit butter is also good on plain or raisin bagels and of course croissants. Another use of the  berries can be boiled down into a syrup. These make for a great natural soda ,especially if you use Soda Stream for the soda.It's just boiling them down with sugar and water into a simple syrup and then straining.

One of the best recipes for fruit is making tasty vinaigrettes. A strawberry vinaigrette is perfect for a grilled chicken salad. Add some creamy feta and almonds to the greens for a very delicious summer salad. Blueberries also make a great vinaigrette.It;s just taking the fruit and mixing it with lemon juice along with olive oil and apple cider vinegar. Again this is a great with a grilled chicken salad or even a julienned  ham salad. Blackberry dressing is another tasty berry perfect for a dressing. Use good olive oil along with apple cider vinegar. It''s even more delicious with chunks of blackberry in it. Use it for a steak salad with a mix of different greens. Berries are a mouth watering addition to any barbecue marinade One of the best is a blackberry one thickened with ketchup and zinged up with vinegar.You can add Dijon mustard and sriracha for heat if you want.everything is cooked up and then the berry mash is strained out. It can be brushed on the meat before grilling. Strawberry glaze is perfect for chicken.Combine fresh , pureed strawberries with honey sugar and balsamic vinegar in a saucepan.Add some garlic and rosemary and cook until thick. You can brush it on before grilling or save it as a dipping sauce for legs and wings.

It's berry season! Take advantage of the harvest and create something sweet or savory!Strawberries, blueberries and blackberries are perfect ingredients to any recipe right now!

Forget The Make Up Eat

 You don;t need serums or highlighters, creams or concealers if you eat the and drink the right foods and liquids. These can help achieving that glowy dewy look. Add some healthy meats and veggies or tnat extra glass of water and you'll not only feel better but look better too.

Winter brings about a lot fo problems with skin and hair. They get dull fast thanks to the frigid temps and the constant heat blowing around the house. What can bring back that summery glow? Salmon and lots of it. This versatile fish is loaded with Omega 3's which is good in restoring skin's . bloomy look.It can also help to protect the skin from certain skin cancers too.Salmon can be versatile too. Try a pan seared version , spiiked with ginger and soy for a tasty dinner or a sheet pan one for an easy Sunday dinner. It can be not only be flavored with ginger and soy but garlic and lemon too or lime for a different flavor. A fun lunch would be salmon patties  bound  with breadcrumbs and eggs. Air fry these instead of deep frying for a healthier meal. These too can be serve with brown rice as with the  grilled or sheet pan versions. Another fish that's great for keeping skin young looking is tuna.It's a good source of selenium (which also is in mnay nuts)and that helps preserve the protein elastin. This keeps skin smooth and tight and also helps protect it from UV rays. Of course you should eat fresh tuna . You'll be able to find fresh tuna steaks in every grocery store. Try marinating it in fresh orange juice before grilling or even a just  a pan seared tuna with just salt and pepper.

Veggies have always been touted as being good for the skin and hair. Of course it's true. Sweet potatoes can chase away acne and any other break outs. They can cut  those sugar cravings which can exercerbate  your blood sugar and in turn ruin cause all sorts of skin problems.  If you want sweet and crunchy then julienne a couple and then air fry them. It's a healthier way to eat a fun snack food while helping your body. Try a garlicky aoili dip with it  using plain Greek yogurt with olive oil added for smoothness and chopped garlic along with salt and pepper for flavor. Roasted sweet potatoes are good too, especially with a thick pat of Melt plant based butter. Tomatoes in season are also a great food to eat for beauty.They're chock full of lycopene which helps boosts the skin's protection against the sun's rays. A tomato is a truly versatile fruit (yes that's what it is) Think of adding roasted ones to a salad or making a tasty bruschetta with rounds of toasted Italian bread. What to drink with this? water. It  doesn;t have to be boring. You cna aerate with fizzy bubbles with a Soda Stream. If you want some flavor then add in some crushed strawberries, cherries or blackberries for a tasty new soda. If it's too bitter or sour. just add a tiny drop of agave to balance out that tartness,

You don;t need that expensive serum or popular concealer for beautiful skin or hair. Eat and drink healthy. These are the best you can get for looking healthy and glowing.

Planning The Holiday

 July Fourth is less than a week away and it's time to start planning your party. Do you want a full out barbecue or something more subtle? Think and plan about what you should buy .

Most people will go for hot dogs and hamburgers. This is classic and the easiest barbecue fare. You can change it up a bit by creating your own hamburgers. This is a simple mix of chopped beef and onions. This gives the patties a McDonald's vibe. You could add a drop of Worcester sauce for a more unami flavor. Keep in mind that these homemade burgers can be as thick or thin as you want. Vegan is another way to go. Beyond Burgers offers a tasty variation to the real thing. These are great grilled and guests can  have fun piling all sorts of fixings on them. Plant based hot dogs like the ones Field offers are another fun addition. These taste even better than the real thing. They're just good with a splash of barbecue sauce on a toasted bun. If you're going the traditional July 4th route remember to have both potato and macaroni salads. An easy potato salad can be made with canned potatoes , mayo and chopped celery. Add capers for taste and saltiness.Macaroni salads can be made with either mayo or a vinaigrette dressing. The last isn't as intense or as gloppy as the first. Use a  simple olive oil and red wine vinegar mix to let the pasta and veggies shine through. Finish the meal with slices of icy cold watermelon or s'mores.

You could  also have a more sublime celebration. Think a summer picnic in the backyard. A cold roasted chicken is always a nice touch , especially if it's served with a simple salad. This last could be a mixed greens and cherry tomatoes or sliced beefsteaks and red onions. Extras can be a sliced baguette to make a sandwich with the chicken along with a bowl of green and black olives. A simple ice box cake would be the perfect dessert. Think a pound cake layered with blackberries and whipped cream served with iced coffee. Grilled London Broil is another idea that would work well.It cooks up well on the grill and is even good cold. The perfect side is tomato salad, with different kind of tomatoes dressed in a spicy oil and vinegar mix.  You could also serve a green bean salad with this along with a chickpea one. These two can also be blended together  for a tasty new combo.As for dessert think a chocolate wafer log. This is taking Nabisco's classic wafers and mortaring them with Cool Whip or if you're ambitious homemade whipped cream. Decorate with shaved dark chocolate.

It's your party . Decide what you want. It could be an exuberant celebration or a sublime gathering. Just make it tasty and fun.

A Scary Supermarket Trip

 Going to the market these days is like sitting through the latest Scream movie. every corner holds some kind of horror, whether shortages or exceptionally high prices. how can home chefs navigate through these tough times.

I wondered this as I shopped at my local Stop & Shop today. There were certain shortages, not as bad as what's in other stores but still sobering.Many groceries  such as those in Pennsylvania have reported empty shelves in the cat food section, frozen food and drinks and meat department. People may gave to wait a long time to get such basic staples as orange juice an ground beef. Luckily store CEOs predict that these shortages will be taken care of by early February -  a little over two weeks from now. These current problems are caused by losing workers to the Omiron variant  along with weather snarls. Heavy snows have screwed up truck routes from vital ports to stores across the country.It's not as bad as last year's where even Lunchables and Ben and Jerry's ice cream were at short order. The other bad part are the prices. Stop & Shop is selling a large twenty-four pack of Bounty Paper towels for a whopping $21. It's good if you can stretch them out for two to three months however these last much less in messy households. In this sense it pays to shop around for them if you have the time. It's worse in the cities where lamb chops can go for almost as high as fifty dollars and tea for ten dollars a box.

What to do? Plan and plot.It's actually not too early to plan out your veggie and berry garden. There may be shortages this summer thanks to the unpredictability of both the Covid virus and the supply chain.You won't have to worry if you have most of  your ingredients in the backyard. start researching what works best in your area of the county and also what kind of soil is in your yard. If it's sandy then think about growing asparagus, strawberries and lettuce. A hardier soil can yield potatoes and turnips along with melons, kohlrabi and turnips. Fruit trees are a bit trickier because the harvest comes a few years after planting. You could forage , especially for wild apples, plums peaches and blackberries. What about meats? Go for the cheapest but also look into where you can get bargains. Aldi and its' sister store Lidl where even the pricey grass fed beef is a few dollars less than what other grocery stores offer. Even their seafood is  not above twenty dollars. Also think about going meatless, using beans  or pasta to sub for meat based dinners.

It is a scary time to shop. However smart planning can help ease the horror of grocery shopping right now. It's just knowing how to get the best deals and shopping around until you get them.

Saving The Season

 How can you preserve the summer? By saving the flavors of that spectacular season whether in sauces or preserves. It's a great way of savoring those sun kissed veggies and fruits all yar long.

The easiest way to preserve the summer is by taking all those extra tomatoes and turning them into freezable sauces. One of the simplest ways to do this is cooking them in a crock pot.This fees you up to do other kitchen chores or just get ready the bags and containers. You can use resealable plastic freezer bags or even freezer proof glass jars.Plastic containers also work well here. These and the jars offer a little more protection against freezer burn.The bags won't however they do pack in better than the others.Basil is not a vegetable but this herb and its' summery taste can also be savored all year round in pesto This is an easy sauce that originated in Genoa. Use all those fresh basil leaves and grind  them in a food processor. Add a drizzle of olive oil to give it that creamy texture.The recipe calls for ground walnuts to be added along with Pecorino cheese bu these don't freeze well. The best bet is omits these when freezing and add to the sauce when you're ready to use it.

Your favorite summer fruits can also be preserved too. Raspberries are having a second season right now and they are perfect in jam. It's a simple recipe of four cups of granulated sugar and four cups of raspberries.Its' then first warm in the sugar and adding it to the fruit. The mix is mashed and ladled into sterilized jars. You can do the same with blackberries, another berry that lasts into the fall.Just remember that wild ones need to be soaked in salt water to remove any bugs. Dry them thoroughly before cooking.  Keep in mind that the wild ones have more pectin than the farm raised ones.Also blackberries are quick to foam when they're boiled. Add the tiniest sliver of butter(!) to prevent this. The taste will remain the same ,especially with the addition of one to two cups of granulated sugar. You can add a tablespoon of lemon juice to if you want. Grapes are also a late summr fruit and one of the tastiest to make into a jelly or jam.Decide what you want to make.Jelly is made solely from the juiced of cooked grapes, namely Concord drained through a fine mesh sieve or muslin cloth> Grape jams has bits of the grape and skin.it is sweet with seven cups of sugar added.

Yes, you can stretch the season out. Make sauces and jams with the sweet flavors of summer. It's a nice way of preserving those sun kissed days for all year long.

Bake Elaborate This Holiday Season

 The Christmas and Hannukkah parties are cancelled. Kwanzaa and tree trimming parties are a thing of a past. What to do? Bake like a contestant from The Great British Baking Show. You have the time to create something wildly elaborate. Go for it. The result is not only a following on Pinterest and Instagram but also a yummy treat afterwards.

One of the most complex yet fun creations to make is the gingerbread house.If you're a beginner , you can always buy the kits which has everything from the actual gingerbread pieces to the icing and decorative candies. There are a lot of styles to choose from. However you can easily build your own. You do need to download or draw templates. It usually is the four walls and two squares for the roof.  If you're especially creative you can also add a chimney and movable front door.  As for the actual building materials, you can use a packaged cookie mix or make your own, the last having a richer and more robust taste. Keep in mind that your dough should have a smaller amount of baking soda for less puff  and less butter so that the pieces keep their shape. Also decrease the molasses for a less sticky dough and  add more water for a smoother one. As for the icing , use royal. This is a mix of egg whites and confectioners sugar however a safer version is using chickpea brine or aquafaba instead. Keep in mind that royal icing is also perfect for icing cookies too. Decorate with Starlight peppermints and gumdrops for a more traditional look or add fun candies like KitKat  Bars and M&M's for a hipper vibe.  Ambitious bakers may try baking a whole village plus people, pets and cars.

Another labor intensive treat is sufganiyot, the Israeli jelly doughnut eaten at Hanukkah. The dough is a mix of the usual doughnut dough, spiked with cinnamon and enriched with butter or pareve  or kosher margarine. Apricot, raspberry or strawberry preserves are placed in the middle and then the dough balls are fried in vegetable oil for two minutes. They can then be dredged in granulated sugar or confectioner's. If you want to fancy them up a bit , think about filling them with dulce de leche or thick caramel sauce. For  really lush doughnuts, fill them with  a rich dark cocoa filling that's more like a pudding. Kwanzaa also comes with a variety of delicious desserts like banana cake. This is fine on its own but think about serving it with a homemade side of homemade Bananas Foster ice cream  for extra indulgence. One of the best holiday desserts for any holiday is the Spanisches Windtorte, This was featured on  The Great British Baking Show  and it is a decadent Austrian meringue cake with a decadent filling of whipped cream laced with brandy and cognac along with confectioner's sugar for body. Each layer is then topped of with fruit. You can use strawberries but for more bite use blackberries or raspberries. It's then finished off with more whipped cream and fruit followed by a dusting of shaved dark chocolate.

Bake big.  Bake  elaborate this holiday. Create something amazing and complicated  - not just for your family but for yourself. It;s the best give you can give.

Grocery Shopping Gone Wild

By now we're all a little antsy between staying home and going shopping. we're also getting bored with what we're eating. Let's face it , two months of beans and pasta can make any home chef crazy. It's time to go a bit wild at the grocery shopping.

The produce section has some interesting veggies and fruits that are versatile and different. many have jicama which is popular in Mexican cooking. It;'s basically a Mexican turnip but like turnips can be turned into fries and mash. It's a good addition to any diet because of the large amount of potassium it has. and it's low in calories. Try jicama fries the next time you make hamburgers. Depending on where you live you may be able to get nopales or cactus paddles. After being boiled, they can be made in either hot or cold dishes. Since warm weather is coming up, think about a Mexican salad, with them along with green onions, tomatoes and cilantro.Make a zasty lime vinaigrette with it and serve with queso. If you can't find that, then use crumbled feta. Ginger is a wonderful addition to both savory and sweet dishes.Ginger root tea is a wonder antidote for stomach aches or even just for relieving stress. Fresh ginger can be grated and used in everything from stir fries to homemade barbecue sauces.

You can also change up your desserts and snacking. Blackberries are coming into season right now. These are tart and delicious, packed with antioxidants and Vitamin C. Tumble some berries over ice cream or bake them into a rustic tart with blueberries.They're also good just with whipped cream as a decadent treat. Raspberries are another out of the ordinary fruit not many think about. Yet they, too are chock full of antioxidants. Think about having them with dark chocolate syrup for a decadent treat. You can also put a few in brandy for a raspberry toddy.Another idea is a raspberry parfait layered with vanilla ice cream, chocolate and whipped cream.The ice cream can be varied too. Try such variations as soy, cashew, almond or oat milk. These are actually creamier and tastier than  the cow milk ice cream. Soy Delicious has some excellent flavors from mint chip made from coconut milk to chocolate velvet with the base ingredient of soy milk, You can make excellent ice cream cakes with any of these. They work well be mashed into molds and hold the shape. As for the non dairy milks, try these for healthier alternatives in such fun drinks as smoothies and egg creams.

Treat yourself and your family to something different and fun on your next shopping trip. It';s a way t liven up cooking in confinement. Be bold. Be adventurous with your food shopping.

Bake Or Buy? A Guest's Dilemma

It's a general rule that dinner guests should bring some kind of thank you for inviting me gift. The easiest  ideas are either wine or flowers. Yet what happens when the host requests a dessert. Do you go all out and create a confection or do you make a quick trip to the local bakery?

There are a lot of reasons not to bake. One is that it saves a lot of time. Baking and icing any cake or cupcake takes a lot of time. Using  cake mix and canned frosting saves some time but not really all that much. Plus canned icing is not as good as homemade buttercream. Then there's rearranging the fridge to accommodate  the treat. Nothing sweet can be left out - not when there are ants scurrying about.Another possible dilemma is taste. What you may think of as delicious may not be what other guests think delicious.You go through all the work of mixing, pouring, and baking then spend another hour or two creating elaborate swirls or flowers   all to have it ignored.Weather also plays a part in it. Who wants to bake in a hot kitchen on a hot summer's day? The room still will be a bit too warm despite air conditioning. Also rain could ruin a dessert. Forget making meringues. They don't become those crunchy light confections on a steamy, humid day. Think more a giant pool of very chewy salt water taffy. That's not something you want to bring to a dinner party.

Yet, you may feel guilty buying that tray of store brownies or cheesecake bites.You could bake something light and dependable such as an angel food cake. Use aquafaba or chickpea water for a delicate , vegan treat. You can bring macerated strawberries or even blackberries to top it. They're easy to make  - just let the fruit  sit in the sugar for about twenty minutes and then serve. Add a splash of Grand Marnier or brandy for an extra kick.Another easy bring over is the famed chocolate wafer cake. This American classic consists of just taking chocolate wafers and forming them into a log using either Cool Whip or homemade whipped cream. If you decide on the last you could sub in a drop or two of peppermint extract for a refreshing chocolate mint log. It can also be served with sliced strawberries or raspberries too. One good aspect is that you can make it early in the morning , and pop it into the fridge until it's time to leave. Another ice box cake to bring is one that involves layering graham crackers and pudding, then topping it off with frosting.

Should you bake or buy? It's up to you. If you have the time, then try your hand at an easy recipe. If not - head to your local bakery. There's no guilt or shame in treating your host to a perfectly baked and decorated dessert.

The Lamb Experiment Part Two Icing Is Coming

This is part two of the Lamb Experiment. Yesterday I baked the Wilton lamb using my Mom's mold. It came out pretty OK. Now was the time  to ice and decorate it.

This is the original instruction booklet that came with the mold. I used the original icing recipe with one difference.I made it vegan.

I used Country Crock's baking stick along with Crisco's vegetable shortening. I wasn't a big fan of shortening until I saw what it can do to icing. It gave it a creamy texture and a lovely white color.

Confectioner's sugar was Domino's - what else. I used only four and a half cups instead of the recommended five.

It really is the perfect white icing. 

The Wilton recipe recommended a 1/4 cup of milk, except that  milk can make the icing spoil if it's left out.I went vegan and used Blue Diamond Almond milk instead.

It was perfect. I'm still amazed at how creamy the icing is.

The decorating requires a bit of the icing to be colored for the eyes,nose mouth and ears. I used Wilton's, putting two blobs of frosting in coffee cups. They were decorated with Wilton's gel dyes.

I stole a trick from The Great British Baking Show and put the dye on a toothpick for the right amount of color. It was then twirled into the icing..It produced cotton candy pink for the mouth nose and ears.

And a sweet cotton candy blue for the eyes

This is Lambie. The white spots are the flour left from baking. It can be gently scraped off with a butter knife.

Remember, to give any cake a crumb coating or a first layer of icing before the actual frosting and decorating.

Then it was onto the fluffy fleece.

Again I used Wilton's plastic and disposable decorating bags and tips. These are neat because they're printed with a line telling you where to end filling it.

Don't make the mistake I did. Please chill the icing before using. It gets messy and gooey as all get out when it's warm.

Here she is. pretty as ever.

I added tart blackberries for some fun and to offset all that sweet icing.

Miss Lambie is just the first in a series of lambs.I plan on making a vegan one , along with a chocolate one with coffee icing. It should be fun. 

Ewe'll find making an Easter lamb enjoyable. (sorry, I could not resist.)It's a great family and friends project.

An Icebox Cake With Snap

Icebox cake is the de rigeur dessert of the summer. It 's the perfect end for a barbecue or even better  a warm weather birthday. It's a cool creamy treat, easy to assemble with already made ingredients. Now there's a new recipe with a snap to it.

Melissa Clark wrote about her creation - strawberry gingerbread icebox cake in her A Good Appetite column in yesterday's New York Times Food section. Usually America''s icebox cake consists of the ultra chocolate wafers mortared together with Cool Whip. Her version subs in Nabisco gingersnaps  "glued" together with a strawberry mascapone creme and topped with more strawberries, this time macerated with sugar, lime and ginger.Home chefs can use the chocolate wafers,also made by Nabisco. The taste is that of a chocolate covered strawberry - just omit the ginger and lime.Just remember, she warns, don't use any sandwich cookie like an Oreo. The middle stuffing will not soften and the cake will have hard, sugary pockets standing out in a sea of fluffiness. Another cookie that is good to use is the Nilla wafer. The effect is the same as the gingersnaps. Most of these cakes are held together by heavy whipped cream but marscapone. It's sturdier and mixes well with the strawberry puree. The final touch is  the macerated berries , with them being marinated them in white sugar, ginger and lime.The last adds a zing to a normally sweet treat.

One of the best aspects of making any icebox cake is that it doesn't require any skill. It's just layering  and building it up like bricks and mortar (not so with the Famous Chocolate Wafers. These have to be stood up to form a log)You could even increase the amount.Ms Clark has eight snaps per layer and the cake is four layers high. It could easily be expanded to serve a large crowd.Could graham crackers be used? Maybe not for this recipe but they can be a component for other icebox creations. Could home chefs change the fruit? Yes, but I'd use a tart fruit like blackberries simply because the cream is very sweet  thanks to the addition of a quarter of a cup of confectioner's sugar. Raspberries are another good choice thanks to their tartness.  What about mascapone? Many grocery stores only stock it occasionally. A good substitute is a homemade mix of  sour cream, cream cheese and heavy whipping cream.Blend together until smooth and use as the recipe directs.

A strawberry gingersnap ice box cake is a cool way to usher in the summer.It's different and fun full of spice and kick. Make this new hot weather classic to end a barbecue or celebrate a summer birthday.
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Buttercream Basics A Baker's Dream Book

One of the most fun things about home baking is decorating one's cakes and cupcakes. There's nothing prettier than a shower cake  festooned with roses or  cupcakes livened up with squiggles and swirls. However, this art does have to be learned and luckily there is a brand new book to show us how.

Buttercream Basics: Learn The Art Of Buttercream Decorating (Robert Rose Publishers 2017) , a phenomenal how to was written by Carey Madden and shows how to create amazing decorations for cakes and cupcakes.Ms. Madden is known for her cake decorating books, She has previously written one just for cupcakes and small cakes. I love this book. One of the best things about it is that she  eases novice decorators like myself from the very simple to the very elaborate. The book doesn't start off with elaborate roses and curlicues. That's for later. Another big plus is the pictorial on the different decorating tools and their use. The book also shows the difference between the tips' openings and how to employ them to create lines, leaves, and petals. Another aspect I 'm impressed with is her advice to left handers like myself. So often we just can't decorate properly because the decorations are for righties. Ms. Madden tells us to go counterclockwise when the directions say clockwise. There is also a chapter on how to mix colors and pair them up for the best color schemes along with chapters on not only icing the cake but also filling it too.Home bakers will likely follow her how to have a smooth surface as well as how to clean tips.

Of course, there is the buttercream recipe but it's the Swiss kind made with egg whites and cooked.She does offer the American kind, but it's sweeter , denser and stiffer than the other. The Swiss meringue is not sugary sweet and it's the perfect foil for the triple chocolate  and yellow butter cake recipes that she also includes. All the cakes featured look amazing.  Beginner icers will love recreating the vintage look of coiled rustic or the swoopy homestyle iced cakes. My favorites are the simple swirl and twine decorated ones where only a spatula is needed to create circles on the top and sides.Ms. Madden also has a chapter on adding sashes to cakes, making them look like elegant hats . There's an interesting one on decorating with crystallized fruits such as figs, blueberries, and blackberries. This would be not only perfect for a birthday but also for a wedding too. The more adventurous will undoubtedly like to attempt the dusting technique which involves stenciling. The cupcake section is adorably cute, especially with the caterpillar birthday cake, made with a line of  cupcakes.I love the rosette swirls and definitely will be trying that one soon enough. There's also the bunch of balloons cupcakes that 's just so sweet  and just the right thing for a kid's birthday cake.

Buttercream Basics :Learn The Art of Buttercream Decorating is the best book for home bakers wanting to create professional looking cakes and cupcakes. It's informative and fun. Learning all the techniques and tips is even better than having your cake and eating it too.

Buckles & Crisps & Cobblers Oh My

Summer baking isn't always an easy thing.Who wants to create a complicated torte when it's ninety degrees outside?However there are some tasty baked treats that require almost no work, They are the fruit filled buckles, crisps and cobblers. They are  baking at it's simplest but also at its' most delicious.

For starters, buckles, crisps and cobblers are somewhat alike but there are some differences. Buckles are more buttery and cakelike. Fruit of the season is mixed with a rich batter and sometimes topped with a streusel topping. It's one of America's oldest dessert recipe, having been made in colonial New England kitchens. Originally it was made with blueberries but now home bakers can use peaches and nectarines as well as raspberries and blackberries. It does have to be made with wet fruit hence the buckling effect so unfortunately apples and pears won't work with it.Melissa Clark offered a recipe in her A Good Appetite column in Wednesday's New York Times Food column. Hers is made with mixed berries such as blueberries  and blackberries along with black raspberries. She also gives it a light sprinkle of cinnamon too and tops the finished buckle with iced cream. Whipped cream or even crème fraiche also goes well with it too.

Crisps are somewhat easier to make and a good starting off point for novice home bakers.They're simply a mix of sugar butter and flour poured over fruit. They can be made with everything from rhubarb and strawberries  to apples and peaches. Apple crisps sometimes have oats added to them as well but it's up to the baker. They're a snap to make , and a fun back to school treat to make with the kids serve with mounds of cool Whip or iced cream.Cobbler is another simple dessert that can be made with frozen biscuits. Bisquick can also be used to create a tasty topping as can yellow cake mix. Your best bet is a scratch  one using flour and baking powder for a light fluffy one. Some home bakers add oatmeal and cinnamon but save that for the crisps. French style has one or two eggs in it for a much more cakier topping.A good cobbler is an equal blend of biscuit that's not too sweet and that will sop up the fruits' juices and fruits that will bake up soft and pulpy. Cobblers can also be made with cherries and blackberries but the peach kind is the best. Again you can serve it with vanilla ice cream , crème fraiche or good old whipped cream.

The weather is sweltering yet you can still bake. Try the super easy buckles  crisps or cobblers with the fruit of the season. They are a snap to make and oh so delicious to eat.

Tis The Season For Picking

June is here and with it a plethora of fruit to pick. This is the times when farms all over the United States open their grounds to fruit lovers and foodies . Pick it yourself offers a wide range of having the best fruit and either eating it fresh or creating tasty and also healthy dishes.It's also a fun way of spending time and making memories with family and friends.

The first step is scouring the Web to see what farms allow picking.  Check to see if there are age restrictions (some places will not allow children under ten or twelve)  along with any fees. Some farms will charge you for gloves or baskets. Others will just hand you a basket and you pay per pound at the end. Another aspect is dressing for it. wear sneakers and socks, You don;t want to step on something or get bit (snakes do occasionally slither in and out of rows and orchards - especially in my state New Jersey).Also take plenty of water and sunblock. Picking on a hot sunny day is no different than time spent at the beach. If you feel light headed  or faint, stop , pay for whatever you picked and head for the car.

Pickings right now are good . This is the start of the strawberry season and some states such as Texas are in full bloom. Blueberries  and blackberries will be ripening towards the middle and end of the month . Peaches are also currently good for the picking too.One important thing to remember is don;t get too carried away. Fruit spoils quickly and if you and your group picked too much,  then you could wind up with throwing  away half of your bounty. Luckily you can freeze fruit, along with making it into a yummy compote..You can also turn it into relish or chutney for your barbecues too.

Make a date at your local farm to go fruit picking. It;s a fun way of bringing together family and friends.It's a great way of enjoying the healthy bounty of the season too.